Disability Rights Advocate Drops Challenge to Louisiana Absentee Voter Laws
The advocacy group Disability Rights Louisiana (DRLA) voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit challenging four Louisiana laws that they previously said could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters with disabilities who use absentee ballots.
The organization chose to dismiss the case after finding no voters with disabilities who were denied their voting rights as a result of the laws during the November and December 2024 elections.
The dismissal, if granted without prejudice, will not prevent DRLA from bringing lawsuits in the future if the laws hinder the ability of voters with disabilities to vote.
DRLA filed a lawsuit in July 2024 against Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry (R) and Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill (R) challenging several state laws for violating the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
Louisiana Acts 380 and 317 prohibit assisting more than one absentee voter. Individuals who deliver absentee ballots or absentee ballot applications for more than one person outside of immediate family members can be criminally prosecuted. Louisiana Acts 302 and 712 make it similarly illegal to serve as a witness for more than one non-family absentee voter. All four were signed into law in June 2024 by Gov. Jeff Landry (R).
DRLA argued these laws violate Section 208 of the VRA, which allows voters with disabilities to receive assistance “from a person of the voter’s choice.” Many voters with disabilities who live in nursing homes, group homes or hospitals rely on staff members to help them apply for or return absentee ballots. DRLA claimed that with the laws in effect, those voters will be unlikely to vote if their immediate family members are not available to assist them. It asked the court to block the four statutes.
In July, a federal district judge rejected a request to temporarily block the laws, citing a legal doctrine that discourages courts from changing voting rules too close to an election. The laws were therefore in effect during the 2024 presidential election.
In October 2024, the defendants moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the plaintiffs had failed to meet procedural requirements like establishing standing and stating a claim for relief.
A federal judge must sign off on DRLA’s motion before the case is officially dismissed.